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This Scarlet Cord by Joan Wolf |
Apart from its religious teachings, The Bible can be a source of literary stories. Author Joan Wolf has chosen the biblical story of Rahab as the basis of this book. Wolf successfully brings the character of Rahab to life. This version varies greatly from the story that I remember, however I am not greatly versed in the Bible and my memory of it has deteriorated over the years. The differences could be either literary license, intense research, or my faulty memory. It is hard to say which.
Rahab was a young woman of Canaan, who was renowned for her beauty. She quickly comes to think of her beauty as more of a curse than as a gift. Because of her extreme good looks she has become the object of men’s unwanted attentions. She was kidnapped when she was twelve and would have been sold as a slave if she had not managed to escape from the slavers and rescued by an honorable man, Sala, and his family. When Sala and Rahab meet years later within the city of Jericho, they find themselves deeply in love with each other. Despite threat of war, differences in religion, and opposition of families will true love prevail so that Rahab and Sala can be together and married?
Whether you believe in the teachings of The Bible or not, this still makes for a good read. Containing conflict, strife, romance, and suspense it should be read as a literary work of its own right and not just as another bible story.
*DISCLAIMER: I received this selection for Bookworm Wednesday free in exchange for this review. This is entirely my own opinion.
